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Saturday, 5 July 2014

Halfway Up The Mountain by Kiran Khalap: a review

The magnificent piece of art done by the cover artist is
sure to attract many eyes if the book is kept in bookstores along with several
other books. The intricacies and the details of a woman is well thought of and
well executed in the cover art. The writer, Kiran Khalap has done exceptionally
well in both the book and the cover keeping all the things in mind which
results in attracting the readers to the level of reading the book at one go.

On the back cover- Kiran
Khalap’s first novel is a poetic work, in which prayer, pirituality and reality
are interwoven, a village girl, Maya, fights her fate in a traditional Indian
family. She makes steamed pancakes and turmeric leaf fragrance and skips
school. Her fate is tied to Ravindra, in an arranged marriage that falls apart
when Maya meets the poet, Krishnarao, and is forced to spend the night in his
house marooned by a torrential storm. Ravindra refuses to believe that their
son Sharan is his own, and leaves her. The young girl is undone by men closest to her, abandoned in an Indian
society that places no value on woman on her own. A tale of snakebites,
separation and liberation.

When I first started to read the book, believe it or not I
didn’t know what to expect with the book. The writing style of the writer kept
me spellbound throughout! The paper quality, the chapter division, the font
used, everything is so enchanting that it seems like the book has cast a spell
on the minds of the readers.

Coming to the storyline, the story of Maya- her life, her love,
her attachments, her soul; everything has been very well described which leaves
the reader thinking himself/herself to be a part of Maya’s world.

The tale of all those men who were close to Maya’s heart,
her father-her brother-her husband-her son abandoning her in this world for
herself is fascinating. The way the narrator has written it makes a reader go
on a lifetime adventure through the book. The characters, descriptions were
also very well executed.

We all have something or the other to learn from Maya and
her life. The whole book is poetry in the disguise of a prose. After reading
the book, yes, the readers are left satisfied as it answers the Universe. All
the questions in a woman’s’ mind and soul. A rare book of its type! A
must-read!

It would be my special recommendation for all the ladies out
there reading this review to read this book and go astray in the whirlpool of
emotions. I can actually call this a perfect book rating it 5 upon 5.